True Detective Season 2 FAQ

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When is it coming out?

June 21st, 2015.

Who is coming back?

The show's creator and lead writer Nic Pizzolatto is back, but besides that the show is pretty much cleaning house. The most surprising news was that director Cary Fukunaga will not be sitting in the director's chair at all for Season 2 after directing all 8 episodes of season 1. But it seems that the talks of creative differences between Pizzolatto and Fukunaga were overblown, as he is just leaving to start making movies after receiving offers for his acclaimed work in Season 1. And while it is still just a rumor, it does not appear that T. Bone Burnett -- the man responsible for Season 1's soundtrack -- is going to return. This should come as a disappointment to fans of the brooding score in Season 1 that captured the occult Louisiana vibe.

And lastly, while it shouldn't come as a surprise, fans will likely never see another scene featuring Marty Hart and Rust Cohle. TD is an anthology series and the cast is going to be entirely overhauled after Season 1. All we can hope is that time truly is a flat circle and we may see them again years down the road.

Equally surprising was the announcement that Justin Lin will be directing the first two episodes, and possibly more after that. Lin is known for his work with the Fast and Furious movies, which strongly hints Season 2 will have a very different feel from 1.

Where is it taking place?

Looks like we're leaving the bayou. According to Pizzolatto, the show will be set in California -- but not the glamourous parts of Cali we usually see on TV. The goal is to capture the vibe of the region like they did with Louisiana in Season 1, and to shine light on a part of the country that often gets overlooked.

When is it taking place?

There were rumors going around that Season 2 was going to be set in the 1970's, but Kitsch confirmed it was just a rumor. But it is unclear when exactly it will be set, and whether or not it will jump from decade to decade like Season 1.

We've gotten a few generic quotes about what is going to go down in Season 2, but there are still a lot more questions than answers. When it comes to the cast, Farrell's character Volcoro may be just as complicated as our boy Rust, as he deals with addiction issues and was accused of letting a young girl get away with a DUI in exchange for sexual favors. He also has strong ties to Semyon (Vaughn)'s criminal organization which adds a new element to Season 2. Neither Rust nor Marty ended up being the men we thought they were, but few could argue with the quality or motivation of their police work. The other police characters are Woodrugh, a detective and military veteran, and Bezzerides, a badass female sheriff. But if there's one thing Season 1 taught us it's that every character has their vices and we shouldn't expect static characters.

While we're obviously not going to be told too much about the plot to a mystery drama, a basic synopsis has been released. It appears that the murder of Semyon's longtime partner right before he attempts to depart crime and become a businessman causes the three cops to work with Semyon to get to the bottom of things. As they go deeper into the investigation, they learn some dirty secrets about the state and country they live in, and the people they work for and work with.

How will it compare to Season 1?

This is the question that is on everyone's mind, since Season 1's perfect storm of acting, writing, and directing led to TD becoming the most hyped TV release since Game of Thrones. While we obviously can't tell you how the quality of each season compares yet, we have learned a bit about the differences in the content.

The most notable difference is the cast. Season 1 was more of a character study of flawed males than anything, and what better characters to examine than the spectacularly flawed Rust Cohle and Marty Hart. Season 2 will feature three police instead of 2, with Vaughn's criminal character playing an equally important fourth role. Since so much of Season 1 revolved around Marty and Rust, it was easy to dedicate time focusing on the similarities, differences, and relationship between the characters. We will probably not see as much attention paid to each individual character in Season 2, but four fully fleshed out characters could be just as interesting to watch as two hyper-developed leads.

The other main difference is the setting. Not so much the geographical setting as much as where the detectives are going to be looking. Season 1 sent Marty and Rust into the dregs of society, as they examined whore houses, shady bars, and shacks by the bayou, but Season 2 will force the detectives to look into the higher ups in society instead of the bottom feeders. This was hinted at by Rust Cohle's investigation into the Tuttle family is Season 1, but many fans were disappointed that nothing much came of that. But based on what we've been hearing, that could have very well been a teaser for what's about to occur in Season 2.

Finally, and most difficult to quantify, is the "feel" of the seasons. By all accounts, from creator Pizzolatto to HBO executives that have seen copies of the script, Season 2 is going to be much more exciting, wild, and eventful than the first. While Season 1 slowly unfurled into a brooding masterpiece, Season 2 appears primed to jump right into the action. Instead of the drawn out psychological character studies we grew to associate with TD in Season 1, it appears 2 is going to be more of a thriller. This partially explains the decision to put Justin Lin in the director's chair, as he has made his name directing action blockbusters.

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About “True Detective Season 2 FAQ”

Even as we learn more about this impressive drama’s sophomore season, much of it remains, predictably, a mystery. Feel free to add to this page with any information you can source, or ask us a question in the forums and we’ll try to answer it!